Snowy Owls Come To The Northwest

In October 2012 I decided to paint white owls.  Although, Snowy Owls are not indigenous to Oregon, I thought a white owl would allow for beautiful play with color.  I originally was thinking of the Snowy Owl, but after doing research I thought the white Barred Owl would be more fitting.  The Barred Owl looks more like a traditional owl with the distinguished tufts around the eyes.  Also, I didn't think I would like the yellow eyes of a Snowy Owl in a painting.

Quiet Observers, 30 x 30
Available in Print

I joke that I must be a powerful manifester, because two days after finishing the owl painting I saw an owl about 20 feet away sitting up on a tree branch while walking my dog, Milo.  The dog actually noticed it first, stopping and looking up at it, I stopped to see what he was looking at.  I didn't have my camera for that one, but that was the only owl I had ever seen in the wild.

Then in January, I got word that Snowy Owls were spotted at Fort Stevens State Park, only 20 minutes from Astoria.  I grabbed my significant other and raced out there as fast as I could, to my amazement there were two hanging out just were he had seen them a few days before.  They were easily spotted with their magnificent white feathers, resting in plain daylight on logs.  I was in owl heaven, I took my telephoto lens (a mere disposable camera to the heavy duty, National Geographic lenses of my fellow on lookers), and got the best shots I could. 

Snowy Owl visits Oregon from the Arctic.

Snowy Owls like coastal landscapes.

I went home and went straight to Wikipedia, to find out why these beautiful creatures came to Oregon for the winter.  Apparently they are fairly nomadic and are hungry.  They will fly further south when food is in demand, this is determined by changes in their population and the boom and bust cycle of lemmings, which is their main food source.  They like open spaces that mimic the tundra, where they perch above and wait for their meal to pass by.  These two are either females or fledglings, the males are pure white.  

With my manifestation prowess, my friends said I should try a mermaid, a unicorn or a winning lottery ticket.  Hmmm.... that is definitely something to think about.

I went back the next day and got this shot to add to my Snowy Owl portfolio.

The Arts and Healing

Arts and Healing have long been closely intertwined.  In the years before Hippocrates, the healing temples of ancient Greece surrounded patients with paintings, sculpture, gardens, fountains, music, poetry and storytelling.  An environment rich with art was seen as therapeutic, providing a means to alleviate physical discomfort and emotional distress.

Florence Nightingale, in her book Notes on Nursing, described the patient's need for beauty, even to look out a window or gaze at a vase of flowers: "People say the effect is only on the mind.  It is no such thing.  The effect is on the body, too."

If you, or someone you love, is sick physically or emotionally, consider beautifying the space around you or them with flowers, a water feature, art or peaceful music.... it really does make a difference.

Returning Insight    (30 x 48)   Giclee Prints Available

Sarah Goodnough Painting of Queen Anne's Lace

I remember being a little girl and looking up at the tall Queen Anne's lace in my neighbor, Mrs. Gaston's english garden. It made an impression on me, I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps a combination of it's tall delicate simplicity and it's name, "Queen Anne's Lace". After all, who was this Queen Anne and did she really use this flower for lace?

With a star burst of white flowers on lime green stems, there is something enchanting about this wild flower that pops up along roadsides, meadows, gardens, parking lots and anywhere else it can find a place to grow. It is a prolific flower, growing wild and free, dotting July and August landscapes with hints of summer memories come and gone. I am sure I could google the story of how this flower got it's name, however, I believe it is the nostalgia brought back by seeing it year after year, showing up where least expected and taking one back to sweet times that makes this wild flower so fit for a queen.

I titled this acrylic painting "Delicate Nostalgia". It is 36 x 36. The original has sold, but I do have limited edition giclee canvas prints available in 40 x 40, 36 x 36 , 30 x 30 and 24 x 24. Refer to my website, sarahgoodnough.com for pricing and more available prints.

Birds in Flight Paintings

On the Rise (40 x 30) Mixed Media, Original Sold

Lunar Migration (24 x 24) Mixed Media on Canvas, Original Sold

Winged Ascension (36 x 48) Acrylic on Canvas, Original Sold, Prints Available

Flight (36 x 48) Acrylic on Canvas, Original Sold, Prints Available

Embarking Daybreak (36 x 48) Acrylic on Canvas, Original Sold, Prints Available

Crimson Flurry (24 x 24) Mixed Media on Canvas, Original Sold

Coastal Migration (24 x 24) Mixed Media on Canvas, Original Sold

5 O'clock Meadow (30 x 30) Acrylic on Canvas, Original Sold, Prints Available

Taking Flight (40 x 30) Mixed Media on Canvas, Original Sold

I have always been captivated by watching birds fly. This series was inspired by capturing that fleeting, beautiful moment when a flock of birds gracefully takes flight. They are so in tune with one another, I am always in awe of their directional instinct, powerful wings, light bodies, and elegant flying ability.

I used silver and gold leafing in some of these as a design element. Many people say they see a rock wall, and like the juxtaposition of manmade structure and nature. I like to let people use their own imagination to make sense of the abstraction. By putting a recognizable concrete subject like birds in the picture, the brain is forced to bring understanding to the background.

I do have giclee prints of some of these paintings available in print sizes, 18 x 27, 24 x 32, 30 x 40 and 36 x 48. The silver and gold leaf do not print well, so there are not any giclee prints available paintings with this element.

Tree Sketches for a Commissioned Painting

Thumbnail sketches for a commission that I am working on. The client wants to have four large paintings of a tree that changes with the seasons to hang over their fire place. It will be a vertical 40 x 60. I will work a few of these into some colored renderings that give the client some ideas and choices for their paintings. It is good to clarify and narrow down what they envision for their home.

I typically do not work from sketches, but it is nice to come up with several concrete ideas. Perhaps a few of these will show up in some other paintings of mine. It is exciting for me to think of all the color possibilities with the same scene, and the same shaped tree, creating so many different paintings around one concept.

Inside My Art Studio

After moving in July, I have been working in my new studio. It has been freeing to be in a larger space that I can step far back and see my paintings at a distance. I am so grateful and working on making it my dream studio.

I am currently in the process of remodeling the space... my significant other doesn't care to hear my music through the paper thin/non insulated ceiling, and I can never seem to play my music loud enough:-) I am thankful that he is an architect and knows how to fix the situation. I also am having adequate lighting put in, painting the walls and putting in new flooring ... I am so excited, truly a kid at Christmas.

I have been working around the contractors, putting away all my supplies and bringing them out again when they are gone... it definitely is a minimalist working situation at the moment.